1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to a cooler for cooling electronic components that generate heat from two surfaces. The invention is particularly suitable as a cooler for cooling a double-faced cooling-type electronic component for an inverter in a hybrid electric car.
2. Description of the Related Art
As shown in FIGS. 20 and 21, in a stacked type cooler 9, available in the past, cooling tubes 92 are arranged in such a fashion as to sandwich a semiconductor module (electronic component) 91 between the two cooling tubes 92 in order to remove heat of the semiconductor modules 91 having built-in semiconductor devices (Japanese Unexamined Patent Publication No. 2002-26215).
This stacked type cooler 9 has a construction in which the semiconductor modules 91 and the cooling tubes 92 are alternately stacked. Cooling tubes 92 stacked in this way are connected with one another through connecting pipe 93 so that a coolant can flow through each cooling tube 92.
When a large difference of calorific amounts occurs between the semiconductor module 91 arranged on one of the surfaces of the cooling tube 92 and the semiconductor module 91 arranged on the other surface, however, heat is likely to transfer from one of the semiconductor module 91 to the other 91 through the cooling tube 92. Therefore, the temperature of the semiconductor module 91 having a smaller calorific amount is likely to be increased.
In consequence, the cooling capacity of the stacked type cooler is likely to become insufficient.